Bal Harbour, FL – April 10, 2019 – In the company of influential guests from Miami’s vibrant cultural and social scene, De Beers celebrated its new home in Bal Harbour Shops with an exclusive, art-inspired experience in collaboration with Miami-based artist Deon Rubi and Nathaly Charria at Le Sirenuse Miami, The Four Seasons Surfside. With Experiential Creative Direction by Nathaly, the project featured a site-specific installation that brought to life the image of Deon’s limited edition cover of the De Beer’s Assouline book.

I wanted to create an experience using nature as a sculptural object and water as a medium for lightness, transparency and reflection, tuning into De Beers’ commitment to beauty through the natural world. Looking through water creates a moment where time is suspended, like holding your breath, like looking closely at a diamond. In water, everything gets emphasized, augmented, full of texture, lines and colors.

‘She broke the glass ceiling.’

What a jagged image we use for women who achieve greatly, defining accomplishment in terms of the barrier rather than the triumph. There she is up where the air is thin, where men still outnumber women, but where the altitude is awesome. Our goal with Firsts, which we will continue to update as new barriers are broken, is for every woman and girl to find someone whose presence in the highest reaches of success says to her that it is safe to climb, come on up, the view is spectacular.

This Colombian born latina has made her way around the world but calls New York City home, she tells us why “por que mi mama me dijo que es la capital del mundo!” Google translate, it’s funny! She likes the idea of living in an area centrally located between Los Angeles and Europe, where much of her work takes place.

Charria’s very foundation of her practice, and the work ethic is shaped by being a Latin-American woman. She wears a badge of honor when representing Latinos around over the world, especially in metropolitan cities like Paris where Latinos are a minority amongst minorities. It was a natural fit for Charria to practice in Paris, since creativity is international this has allowed her to be in the right place at the right time. Charria’s work has taken her work around the world to include NYC, Los Angeles, Berlin, Madrid and Paris.

Portrait by Parker Day

Paris has always been home to great artists . She is most inspired by the underground and creative subcultures. Recently, she has been discovering a Parisian music scene that blends techno, world, and afro-beats. Her biggest inspiration though, is Gertrude Stein, an American woman living in 1920’s Paris best known for her auspicious gatherings. She discovered and mentored artists like Picasso, Hemingway, and Miró.

IN HER WORDS:

My path to Paris was the Rue de Fleurus, a personal pilgrimage to walk the streets where the greats have strolled. I love working with artists. Brand collaborations allow me to merge the two worlds in a way that feels authentic. My goal in this is to to contribute to developing a new economic system in which creativity holds the key. A highlight in my career was recreating David Lynch’s Red Room in collaboration with Polaroid Originals.

The David Lynch Foundation's Festival of Disruption made its NYC debut at Brooklyn Steel on May 19-20, 2018 for the powerful third iteration of the immersive festival experience. Curated by David Lynch, the festival featured a hand-selected line-up of artists, performers, film screenings, meditation, and art including the Eraserhead Experience.

Erik Martin, one of the festival’s producers, explained...that Lynch acts as the “curator in the truest sense of the word. He likens the creative process to transcendence. . . . He loves to find artists who he thinks are transcendent in each of those spaces—be it music or film or visual art.

— Vanity Fair

Images courtesy of David Lynch Foundation and Yeah Field Trip!

Upon arrival to the Festival of Disruption, attendees were greeted by dramatic black velvet drapery, inviting audiences to enter the world of David Lynch’s 1977 surrealist cinematic creation, Eraserhead. Presented by the David Lynch Foundation, The Criterion Collection, Polaroid Originals, and Bang & Olufsen; The Eraserhead Experience transported participants into Lynch's "dream of dark and troubling things.” Produced by Experiential Director Nathaly Charria, the high-touchpoint activation lured audiences into The Criterion Collection’s director approved restoration of Eraserhead screened on BeoVision Eclipse, courtesy of Bang & Olufsen.

Photos by Char Alfonzo

After stepping through the black drapes and setting foot on the hand-painted checkered floor, guests were surprised to find themselves on-stage, immersed in the realm of the iconic black & white film. In this key-moment the participant becomes The Lady in The Radiator. Through meticulous attention to detail and custom set design provided by Charria and her team, this multi-sensory experiential activation brought to life the feeling that “In heaven, everything is fine.”

To emphasize the instilled feeling of nostalgia, attendees were photographed with one-of-a-kind Polaroid picture, courtesy of Polaroid Originals.

Photo by Kris Mae

Proceeds from the festival benefit the David Lynch Foundation, whose mission is reducing toxic stress and trauma among at-risk populations, including victims of domestic violence, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS), and underserved urban youth, through the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation technique. The Foundation has reached more than 500,000 people since founding in 2005. For additional information on the work of the Foundation, or to subscribe for news about its programs and events, visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org

Experiential agency Sense NYC celebrated their first year of business in the US with a collection of illustrations featuring the women that inspired the team in 2017. This initiative is a collaboration between Sense' favorite female Creative Director, Nathaly Charria, and their in-house illustrator, Alana McDowell in London. These diverse illustrations honor women who change the world through their unapologetic presence and self-expression. The project was featured in US Campaign, Media Post, WNW, and was the Women's Day Editor's Pick of Adweek.

Polaroid Originals made its retail debut as a new lifestyle brand at New York Now trade show 2018. Our team oversaw the development, production, design, and fabrication of the modular display. The goal was to target the lifestyle retail market by presenting the brand to buyers in an inspiring way, which allowed them to imaging how Polaroid Originals would be placed within their retail environments. New York Now is a trade event for buyers sourcing design-led products across the home, lifestyle, handmade and gift spectrum. It takes place in NYC at the Javits Center with 325+ members of the media attending.

Parker Day is the featured artist at this year's Startup Art Fair Los Angeles, on view Friday January 26th - Sunday January 27th at The Kinney in Venice. Parker will transform one of the mid century modern suites into a freaky art paradise that brings audiences into the sets of ICONS. Through bright colors and textures, Parker shares her body of work within a site-specific installation that differentiates from her traditional exhibitions. The project presents the second edition of ICONS published by Not A Cult and includes an artist talk and book signing.

Startup Art Fair is a contemporary art fair established by independent artists in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Founded by artist and educator Ray Beldner, and former gallery director Steve Zavattero, Startup Art Fair'smission is to provide a professional exhibition venue for independent artists where they can present and sell their work and foster relationships with emerging and established collectors.

The Festival of Disruption is a music, art, and film festival curated by David Lynch. As part of the festivities, Polaroid Originals partnered up with the David Lynch Foundation to present a creative reproduction of the iconic Red Room portrayed in Lynch’s pioneering television series, Twin Peaks. Festival goers were able to take photos in a reproduction of the red curtain encased set on the unforgettable chevron patterned floor while sitting in the original chairs used in filming. Participants received one unique print shot of their visit to The Red Room using the new Polaroid OneStep 2 instant analog camera, courtesy of Polaroid. Curatorial expert Nathaly Charria was brought on board to steer the project’s creative reproduction for Polaroid and the David Lynch Foundation.

In addition to the Red Room recreation, Charria created an 8x10 Polaroid gallery space to exhibit Duochrome Polaroids shot by David Lynch on the set of Twin Peaks, 2016.

As the European Union signals its distancing from a seven-decade transatlantic alliance, as the United States joins Nicaragua and Syria as the only other nations to demure from the Paris Climate Agreement, as a realignment of global hegemonies occurs before our eyes, there is no better time to reflect on the narrative of globalization. The 14th Factory, a warehouse-sized installation currently open in Los Angeles, is the culmination of a life's work for Simon Birch. A Brit, transplanted to Hong Kong for the majority of his adult life, Birch has lived a life precipitated by the global reality we've all been born into.

Image courtesy of The 14th Factory

The 14th Factory in name pays homage to the Thirteen Factories which served as the West's main trading post in China during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The factories were successively destroyed during the first and second Opium Wars as they became conduits of oppressive and exploitative trade relationships. This history of resource exploitation holds over in the politics of today as the West uses the cheap labor caused by a lack of enforced labor laws and complicit governments to support an unsustainable consumer economy. I recently sat down with Birch for an interview (below) to discuss his vision and experience in creating this epic visual narrative.

Birch's 14th Factory provides a place for reflection. There are no answers there but all too often we remain unaware of the inter-dependence and exploitative nature of our global society fraught with the themes Birch brings to the fore. Collision, crisis, resolution, transformation — the hero myth that Birch calls upon attempts a universality. Balancing the specific and the universal is the story of globalization now as the discourses of postcoloniality do their job, reflecting back on the exploitation of the past to mitigate the exploitative impulse of now. How does one balance development with respect? How does one consume responsibly while honoring the labor involved? How do we proceed conscientiously and how do we elevate the oppressed, both at home and abroad, to a place where they can participate in a meaningful and conscious engagement as a global society based on universal equality? What myths must be created and which myths must remain?

Donation: $18 online and $22 at the door. Youth, Seniors and Military get discounted tickets for $14 online, and residences for the Lincoln Heights neighborhood with a zip code of 90031 are eligible for free entry. Get advanced tickets through See Tickets.

The 14th Factory's "Encounter" campaign introduces the project to LA's creative community through collaboration. A global artist collective created by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch, the 14th Factory invites Mecca Vazie Andrews to connect with the exhibition and space through dance, movement, performance and play. The campaign was released on Instagram as a three part series.

In the Meteor Room piece, Mecca honors family and ancestry. The colors black, white and red represent Trinidad whilst the dance attributes the light of humanity with atmospheric friction.

When I think of meteors, I think of light traveling and part of my process is relating to the idea of time. This piece is about my ancestors and how they are connected to me through light and time.

— Mecca Vazie Andrews

This piece connects to the idea of being present and being a shadow of one’s self. 

— Mecca Vazie Andrews

This piece is inspired by Simon Birch's Inhumans, which Mecca believes presents fighters in a graceful structured and organized "quarrel for no reason." She addresses the conflict of fighting one's self and the science of the human reassembling and regenerating following battle.

Trade the past for a never ending story.Trade the end for a new beginning.Trade hatred for a better understanding.Trade slavery for freedom.Trade anger for artistic expression.Trade like for eternal love.8.- Hodgy

“My debut album is gratefully my past to present,” explains Hodgy, born Gerard Long. A contemporary wizard, illusionist and dreamer, Hodgy represents the vision for a new generation of artists who take an interdisciplinary approach to shifting paradigms and disassociating from expected boundaries. The album is a reflection of Hodgy’s evolution from teenage angst to fatherhood within the undertones of a mystic lyricist. Hodgy’s approach to his art is enigmatic. He is a breathing manifestation and traveling light that serves as a mirror for humanity through these ever-changing times.